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Steilacoom
Steilacoom (/ˈstɛlkəm, -ləkəm/) is a town in Pierce County, Washington. The population was 5,985 at the 2010 census. Steilacoom is on the coast of Puget Sound. Steilacoom incorporated in 1854 and became the first incorporated town in what is now Washington State. It has also become a bedroom community for soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Based on per capita income, Steilacoom ranks 61st of 522 areas ranked in the state of Washington. History The origin of the name "Steilacoom" is unclear. According to the Legacy Washington program, the town’s name is derived from an Indian word meaning “little pink flower.” Another version is that it was named by fur traders with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and is an adaptation of Tail-a-Koom, the name of an Indian chief. In 1824 HBC chief factor John Work called it "Chilacoom". Another early spelling was "Chelakom". The Town of Steilacoom says it was named after the Steilacoom tribe, especially their main village in the Tacoma area, located on Chambers Bay. This village was called Scht’ləqʷəm, later anglicized as Steilacoom. William Bright says the name comes from the Southern Coast Salish subgroup /č'tílqʷəbš/, anglicized as "Steilacoom". European-American settlement at Steilacoom was founded by Lafayette Balch, a sea captain from Maine, and it was officially incorporated in 1854. It is the oldest incorporated town in Washington. It has four individual buildings and sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the oldest Catholic Church in the state and the first Protestant Church north of the Columbia River, as well as the Steilacoom Historic District, with 68 contributing properties. Steilacoom's main source of early prosperity was the processing and export of lumber to San Francisco. When the United States Congress established the Washington Territory on March 2, 1853, Governor Isaac Stevens chose Steilacoom as the seat of Pierce County. Steilacoom had the first jail in Washington and the first sawmill. The City of Lakewood has developed next to it, and the city is home to one of the two major state-run mental health facilities, Western State Hospital, on the site of what was once Fort Steilacoom. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.07 square miles, of which, 2.04 square miles is land and 0.03 square miles is water. To the east of Steilacoom is the Puget Sound, Ketron Island and Anderson Island. North is Fox Island and Lakewood. Lakewood also takes up the city's eastern border. South is Ketron, Eastward, DuPont, and Join Base Lewis-McChord. Tacoma is north less then 12 miles away. Climate Steilacoom's climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 76.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 35.10 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 13 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Steilacoom is 38.95 Inches. Winter months tend to be wetter than summer months. The wettest month of the year is November with an average rainfall of 6.10 Inches. Transportation There are no state highways in Steilacoom. Drivers can access Interstate 5 or State Route 512 by driving through the adjacent city of Lakewood. Pierce County maintains a Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry which departs from Steilacoom and serves Anderson and Ketron islands.Category:Cities & Towns Category:Pierce County Category:Washington State Wiki